CLMRG is funded in part by United Way of Indian Wells Valley.OPERATIONS

02-03 21 Jun 02 Incident University
Peak Bob Rockwell
On 21 June, Kevin McCormick and I started to climb University
Peak via Robinson Lake. At 10,800 feet, a few hundred feet above
Robinson Lake and shortly before noon, Kevin was crossing a snow
bridge over a stream. The bridge collapsed, and he landed in
the water. It was a foot or so deep, and he got his left foot
wet.
On the bank, Kevin took off his boot and wrung out his sock.
Then we noticed the little finger on his left hand was bleeding.
The end joint was flexed. I asked him if it always looked like
that, and he said, "No." He tried to "will"
it straight. It would not straighten, but he could straighten
it easily with his other hand.
He asked if it could be broken, and I replied probably not because
it was angulated at a joint, not the middle of a bone. I suggested
that he might have torn a tendon. We made a splint out of a piece
of cardboard and a stick, and I applied it after first bandaging
the finger. I let Kevin use one of the wrist straps from my pack-this
acted nicely as a sling-and he used one of my hiking poles for
support as we descended.
We got back into town around 1500, and I took Kevin to Urgent
Care. He said he would call Traci to pick him up when he was
finished. (We had alerted Traci by cell phone earlier.)
A few hours later, Kevin sent me an e-mail report that indeed
a tendon had torn along with a small piece of bone (Mallet Finger).
He'll have a splint for a few weeks. After that, surgery is
a possibility.

02-04 (OES #2002-OES-0356) 14-16 Jul
02 Search Tulare County Linda Finco & Tom SakaiLinda Finco starts the report:Commander Rocky Lacertoso, of the Kern County Sheriff's Office,
paged CLMRG around 1515 on Saturday, 13 July. Tulare County Sheriff's
Office was requesting assistance for a search for a missing 43-year-old
man, Alejandro Martinez, who did not speak English. Alejandro
went out with two friends on Tuesday, 9 July. Around 1500 that
day, the three became separated. Alejandro was not reported missing
until Thursday afternoon. Mary Schmierer was our coordinator,
and Tom Roseman, Dennis Burge, Bud Gates, and David Miles committed
to the search. We met at the hut at 0500 and departed at 0530.
We arrived at base around 0800 at the Parker Pass ranger station.
Base gave us more details: Alejandro was last seen wearing a
light brown shirt with white dots, light brown pants, and tennis
shoes or light boots. We got a possible shoe print and a photo.
Base originally thought that the three men might be "gardeners."
The area is often used to grow marijuana. The reporting party
(RP), Martin Martinez (Alejandro's cousin), said that they were
scouting for deer hunting areas. The three men, Alejandro, Martin,
and Victor Sanchez, parked Victor's truck in the Buck Slide area
and started to hike down a drainage. The hike got too rough for
Victor, so he returned to his truck to wait for the others. A
little farther, Martin got tired and talked Alejandro into stopping
for a while. Martin took a nap, and about 30 minutes later when
he awoke, Alejandro was gone. The two had agreed that if they
separated, they would meet back at the truck. Martin returned
to the truck and found Victor but not Alejandro. The two men
searched for Alejandro the rest of Tuesday and all day Wednesday.
Thursday morning at 0430, they went to Alejandro's house to tell
his wife he was missing and to get supplies to continue the search.
Thursday afternoon, after hearing nothing all day, Alejandro's
wife called the Forest Service for help. The Sheriff's Office
was notified that evening but couldn't start the search until
Friday morning. Alejandro's wife said that her husband had been
acting strangely the last six months saying that the government
was out to get him. Alejandro had started to wear hats and sunglasses
to cover his face. The wife also said that maybe her husband
knew someone on the Tule Indian Reservation who would take him
back to Mexico so that he could hide there. If we saw Alejandro,
we were to yell, "Ven aqui" (Come here). We were not
to approach him.
Tulare County teams searched the area around the place last seen
(PLS) on Friday and Saturday. Saturday afternoon, they called
for additional help and got teams from Fresno County and CLMRG.
We formed two teams of two (Finco-Gates and Roseman-Miles), and
Burge was teamed with Deputy Corey Klingenfelter from Tulare County
and Chris Schmidt of Fresno County Sheriff's SAR. The two CLMRG
teams were assigned to hike down the North Fork and South Fork
drainages leading away from the PLS. Burge's team was to check
out some footprints reported by Alejandro's family on the Indian
reservation, which is north of the PLS.
The helicopter dropped Gates and me off about 0.4 mile from our
starting point. There was no human sign in our drainage. We
finished our assignment around 1520. Roseman and Miles were lowered
to their assignment in a Penetrator, a three-legged seat. They
finished their assignment around 1620. We met up and got a ride
in vehicles back to base.
Burge's team, followed by Alejandro's family and friends to locate
the footprints, drove to the Indian reservation. Starting above
the south fork of the Tule River at about 2000 feet, the group
descended about 400 feet to the prints, which were in dry moss
on granite and led to dried grass. Measurements seemed to match
the information we had for Alejandro. The tracks were old, however,
and could be followed for only five or six steps. Burge got back
from his assignment around 2300.
We got more details during the Monday morning brief. Alejandro
knew how to hunt and fish and survive in the backcountry. He
also knew how to avoid leaving tracks. Base asked us to split
our team members to go with the dog teams. Roseman was teamed
with a member of BAMRU and WOOF, Miles with another WOOF member,
and Burge with a CARDA member to go back to the Indian reservation
where the possible footprints were found. Roseman was going back
to an area where another dog team alerted but where the terrain
was too rugged for the handler. Gates and I teamed again and
were assigned the lower portion of the Bond Creek drainage to
the north of the PLS.
Gates and I finished our assignment around noon. We did not have
communications with base (both days, communications were bad),
so we waited to see if the helicopter would get back in the air.
About 40 minutes later, we made contact with the helicopter.
They relayed our position to base. Base asked us to continue
down the drainage. This put us off the map, but we agreed. For
the next three hours, Gates and I hiked the drainage. From the
top of the falls below Slick Rock, we saw a paved road, which
we reached around 1530. I contacted Burge's team, who relayed
our position to base. The helicopter picked us up near the Tule
River. Roseman was the last member back to base around 1700.
The teams found no clues. We debriefed and learned that Tulare
County was going to continue for one or two more days. I told
them to call our sheriff if they wanted additional help from CLMRG
for Tuesday. On the way home, we reached Mike Myers on the radio.
Myers paged the team and got Tom Sakai to be the leader for Tuesday.
Tulare County wanted the team in base at 0700 on Tuesday. Back
at the hut, I confirmed with Sgt. Diederich that sending another
team would be OK. Three members, Sakai, Al Green, and Mike Franklin,
committed for the next day.Tom Sakai continues the report:CLMRG coordinator Mary Schmierer called me at home on
Monday evening, 15 July, asking whether I could lead a second
team on the search for Alejandro. The first team, led by Linda
Finco, was returning to Ridgecrest after two days of searching.
I agreed to lead a team and would depart the following morning
at 0400 for a 0700 brief at search base. The team consisted of
Al Green, Mike Franklin, and me. Terry Mitchell took over as
coordinator starting at 1500 on Tuesday.
We arrived at base at 0620, checked in, and waited for the morning
brief. The Blackhawk helicopter arrived shortly after. The RP,
Martin, was at the command post, and he was to go in first with
a Tulare County deputy and a translator (Team 1) to verify the
location of the place he last saw Alejandro. The three of us
from CLMRG were assigned with two Tulare County deputies (Team
2) to do a grid search starting at a point about 0.2 mile northwest
of the reported PLS and heading downhill in a SE direction to
another point about 1.1 miles away. We got GPS coordinates for
all three points.
The Tulare County Sheriff's lieutenant in charge of the search
wanted Team 1 to be flown to the PLS by the helicopter, but the
pilot told the lieutenant that, by directive, absolutely no civilians
not covered by OES were allowed on the helicopter. The civilian
searchers could be taken but not the RP or the translator. Because
the lieutenant wanted the RP in the area first, a plan B had to
be developed.
Plan B was to take both teams in two 4WD vehicles on dirt roads
to a location near the PLS. Even though the place we were going
to was less than three air miles from the command post, the trip
took two hours on the dirt roads. When we got to our assigned
location at 1100, Team 1 went to verify the PLS, and Team 2 started
the grid search down the steep slope looking for human tracks
or sign.
After about 2 1/2 hours of searching, Team 1 reported that they
had come across an active marijuana garden. The search was terminated,
and the situation became a law enforcement matter. We (CLMRG
members on Team 2) were asked to return to the road where we had
started for a ride back to the command post. The two deputies
on our team would go down to investigate the garden.
We were picked up within 10 minutes of reaching the road, but
we had to wait for Team 1 to return. When they did, both vehicles
started the long journey back to base. We were back at the command
post by 1620. We were released to go home at 1630 and were back
at the hut by 1845.Comments:1. The crew from the California Air National Guard, pilots
Clint Cain and Rob Walters, crew chief Wendy Steinhoff, and medic
Michael Sable, all deserve praise. The Blackhawk is a nice helicopter
and worked well in the terrain. The Penetrator is a great way
to be lowered or raised (instead of a horse collar or harness).
We should remember this outfit and resource.
2. Tulare County did an excellent job providing for the searchers.
There was plenty of water, and the cooks did a great job with
all the meals. We never EXPECT to be fed, so when food is provided,
we always appreciate it. Transportation was provided to and from
all assignments.
3. The only real problem was communications. Both days, we were
sometimes out of radio contact with anyone for three hours or
more. Originally, CLEMARS (pre-programmed into our radios) was
the operating frequency On the second day, they added 155.15,
which is our MRA 1. We could communicate on CLEMARS only when
the helicopter was in the air in our vicinity because of all the
drainages. I don't know what the solution would have been except
to keep the helicopter in the air, which of course is not feasible.

02-05 (OES #2002-OES-0400) 2-4 Aug
02 Search Fresno County Linda FincoCLMRG was paged around 0910 on Friday, 2 August. Terry
Mitchell returned the call to Sgt. Kirkland of the Kern County
Sheriff's Office. Terry called down the roster for a leader,
and Mike Myers took the operation around 0925. Terry became the
coordinator and started calling the roster for people to go on
the search. The initial information stated that Fresno County
needed assistance in a search for a 45-year-old male who was last
seen on Friday, 26 July. The Fresno County Sheriff was not notified
until the evening of Wednesday, 31 July. The missing man's vehicle
was located at the Potter Pass trailhead, which is a few miles
northeast of Huntington Lake. Base camp would be located at the
trailhead. Lt. Johnson was our point of contact for the Fresno
County Sheriff.
I received the call from Terry around 0945 and committed to the
search. Myers paged me around 1000 and asked if I could take
the operation. I got all the information from him and took the
operation. I called Terry to tell her that I would be the leader
and that we would meet at the hut at 1200. Al Green, Werner Hueber,
Andrew Mitchell, and Dennis Burge committed to the search.
At the hut, we collected maps, radios, GPS, and technical gear.
We left the hut around 1230 and arrived at base camp around 1800.
After we had dinner and signed in, base asked us to go out that
evening to secure Kaiser Creek, which had been searched from the
California Riding and Hiking Trail to Sample Meadows but not from
Kaiser Peak Meadow to the trail. Bill McDivitt from the Fresno
County team was assigned as our team leader. We left base around
1930 and arrived at the meadow around 2000. The assignment was
only two miles in length, but the creek was dense with boulders,
willows, and downfall. The going was rough and got worse when
the sun went down. For a night search, the probability of detection
(POD) was still high for a responsive person but very low for
an unresponsive person. We got to the trailhead around 2330.
We got back to base around midnight.
We got a general briefing Saturday morning. We were searching
for 45-year-old Albert Jachens. Jachens was 6 feet tall and weighed
220 pounds based on his driver's license, but it was reported
that he was closer to 180 pounds. Jachens might have been in
the area to fish because his girlfriend said that his green backpack,
red sleeping bag, and two green fishing poles were missing. He
had left Friday, stopped in Shaver Lake to borrow $20 from his
uncle, and driven to the trailhead at Potter Pass. He did not
return Sunday evening, so his girlfriend reported him missing
to the Fresno Police Department on Monday. The police did not
notify the sheriff until Wednesday evening. By the time the sheriff
arrived at the trailhead, all sign around Jachens's vehicle had
been destroyed. They thought they might have a print (tennis
shoe with circles in the pattern) but no direction of travel.
They found three vodka bottles in the vicinity. Jachens was
known to be a heavy drinker, and he would at times drink until
he passed out either physically or mentally (blacking out). The
drainage near the trailhead was searched thoroughly by search
dogs to ensure that Jachens had not been injured after drinking
large quantities of alcohol near his vehicle. Jachens's keys
and wallet were found in the vehicle.
Saturday, our team of six with Bill as our leader again were assigned
to search from the Badger Flat Campground to Weldons Camp. We
searched about 100 yards to the east and then to the west of a
4WD road. We completed our assignment by 1315. We called base
and waited until around 1500 for a ride. No afternoon assignments
were given.
We got two assignments Sunday. Al Green was to go with a CARDA
dog team and a Fresno County team member to search a trail area
and meadow. The rest of us from CLMRG were to search Big Creek
from Weldons Camp to Ershim Lake. Dan McDivitt (Bill's younger
brother) was our team leader. We started the assignment at 0800
and drove the 4WD road to Weldons Camp. From there, we hiked
cross-country to Big Creek. We followed the creek to the Ershim
Lake trail crossing. We then followed the trail back to Weldons
Camp. The search teams had found no clues. More than 100 people
had been interviewed on the trails with no one seeing Jachens
or having any information.
We got back to base around 1430. We changed clothes, packed up
our gear, signed out, and left around 1500. We stopped in Bakersfield
for dinner and arrived at the hut at 2200.

02-07 16 Sep 02 Recovery Temple Crag
Tom Roseman The pager rang Wednesday evening around 1900. Sgt.
Randy Nixon of the Inyo County Sheriff's Office wanted two technical
climbers with good knowledge of our rescue hoist for a body recovery
on Moon Goddess Arete on the north face of Temple Crag. We had
to be at the Inyo hut at 0700 the next morning. Daryl Hinman
and I would be the technical team. Al Green would be our driver
and technical advisor. Carol Burge would be the coordinator.
We met at our hut at 0430 Thursday and arrived at the Inyo hut
right on time. During the brief, we learned that Steve Levesque
(47) had died in a leader fall about 500 feet from the top of
the arete. His partner, Ric Tietz (46), was uninjured.
A member of the Alpine Skills Institute, who was guiding a party
up the route, led Ric to the top.
A California Highway Patrol A-Star helicopter flew eight Inyo
team members, Daryl, and me to the south side of Temple Crag about
500 vertical feet from the top of the route. Daryl and I reached
the top around 1100 about a half-hour behind the lead Inyo team.
We spent the next hour or so trying unsuccessfully to see Steve
from the top. A Forest Service A-Star helicopter, which had short-lined
all the ropes and technical gear to an area near us, saw Steve
from the air and hovered over him. Steve was on the west side
of the arete about 200 feet below a prominent notch and out of
our sight from the top. The pilot thought that he could short-haul
Steve if we could move him about 50 feet up and 50 feet over to
a long, narrow outcropping. To do this, we had to set up a raising
system at the notch.
Greg Corliss, Inyo's field team leader, sent Daryl, Bob Harrington,
and me to descend to the notch and start setting up. To reach
the notch, we fixed 500 feet of rope with four rappels down the
chute to the east of the arete and one climbing pitch out and
up onto the arete. Three other Inyo members, Paul, Darla, and
Mike, followed with the hoist, a Ked stretcher, a body bag, and
more gear. I rappelled to Steve on a 200-foot rescue rope and
just barely reached him. We would later use my rope as the stretcher
belay line. Daryl followed on a second 200-foot rescue rope,
which would serve as the main raising line, with the stretcher
and body bag. After we had packaged Steve, we had to lengthen
the system in order to wind the ropes through the hoist and the
belay device. We used two 20-foot webbing sections for the main
line and a doubled 20-foot webbing for the belay line. Bob and
Mike raised with the hoist while Paul and Darla worked the belay
system. We raised 30 feet, removed the webbing extensions, raised
another 20 feet, and pulled the stretcher with the webbing laterally
50 feet to the flat outcropping. The Forest Service helicopter
arrived 10 minutes later. The pilot worked the short line to
the stretcher. Daryl hooked the line quickly, and the helicopter
pulled the stretcher up and off the outcropping. By this time
it was 1800, and darkness was approaching fast. Daryl and I climbed
up to the notch belayed by the hoist and belay lines respectively.
All six of us then started to get everything back to the top
of the arete. We finished by headlamp around 2100, working hard
to stay out of the very real danger of our own rockfall. Tired
but glad to have completed a difficult job safely, we "enjoyed"
MREs and debriefed the operation. The helicopter returned late
the next morning, and we were all back in Big Pine by 1300.
Five of us climbed the 500 vertical feet to the top of Temple
Crag that last morning because it seemed the right thing to do.Notes:1. This was a textbook problem for using the hoist. The
notch was about 50 feet long and 10 feet wide, and its uneven
surface consisted of large blocks and various-sized loose boulders
and small rocks strewn about. A traditional mechanical advantage
raising would have been difficult to set up and operate safely
in this limited area and would have required additional personnel
to power. The vertically mounted hoist eliminated any edge problems
and was located ideally to minimize dislodging loose rocks on
the steep face from the notch down to the stretcher. Two persons,
alternating turns at the crank, powered the hoist. The lateral
movement of the stretcher to the outcropping required numerous
small raisings and lowerings by a few feet. This was accomplished
quickly and easily by the hoist's clutch mechanism. Additionally,
its small size and weight allowed it to be packed easily across
the technical terrain from the top to the notch.
2. Ironically, the Inyo team actually operated the hoist. Our
teams had met twice previously specifically to practice using
the hoist. This demonstrates the value of learning each other's
technical systems. In addition, these events and other joint
operations and practices have allowed our personnel to work together
closely. This contributed greatly to the smooth way in which
this technically difficult operation proceeded.
3. The Forest Service helicopter pilot's pick-off of the stretcher
with a 50-foot long-line in this very steep and constricted area
was impressive. The personnel at the notch were looking down
on the helicopter and could see how very close the rotor was to
the rock. Had the pilot been unwilling or unable to perform this
task, we would have had to raise the stretcher to the notch, which
would have been much more difficult and dangerous.

SHERIFF CARL SPARKS RETIRES

The new Honorary Member
Kern Country Sheriff Carl Sparks has been elected an Honorary
Member of the China Lake Mountain Rescue Group. The last time
a person was given this award was in 1997. The last time a person
who was not a prior member of CLMRG was given this award was in
1983. The inscription on the sheriff's plaque reads as follows:

China Lake Mountain Rescue
Group
Honorary Member
Sheriff Carl Sparks

The statement on the back of the plaque reads as follows:

Kern County Sheriff Carl Sparks has been elected an Honorary
Member of the China Lake Mountain Rescue Group. According to
our bylaws this membership is non-voting, for life, and not subject
to dues or assessments.

Carl has been a vocal and passionate supporter of volunteer
search and rescue ever since becoming the Lieutenant in charge
of Kern County SAR in 1980. After being elected Kern County Sheriff
10 years later, with broadly expanded duties and responsibilities,
he remained ardently committed to SAR.

Carl realized from the beginning how important SAR is to Kern
County and its citizens, and made every effort to enhance and
utilize the specialized capabilities of its member teams and to
improve the ways that the teams worked together. He demonstrated
his commitment through funding, equipment and visible support
to the SAR community. He greatly appreciated the mountaineering
skills that CLMRG brought to the County, and he has been one of
our most special friends and supporters for over 20 years.

It is with great pleasure that the members of the China Lake
Mountain Rescue Group honor Sheriff Carl Sparks with this award.

Refer to The Talus Pile Number 123 (April 2002) for
the history of our Honorary Member category.

The old timers campoutSheriff Sparks welcomed Search and Rescue members who were
active during the time (1980 to 1989) he was the commanding lieutenant
of SAR to an old timers campout the night of Friday, 23 August
2002 at Fort Tejon Campground

The retirement partyThe sheriff's retirement party is scheduled for Saturday,
30 November (the Saturday after Thanksgiving). Reserve your place
with CynDee Street (661-391-7771) before 5:00 p.m. on
22 November.

TRIP REPORT

Climbing Mt. Carl Heller's East Ridge
By Bob Rockwell
What is a third of a mile long, gains 1300 vertical feet, is hard
class 3 almost every inch of the way, has a thousand feet of exposure
off both sides, and is truly one of the finest climbs in the Sierra?
A lot of people know the answer: Mt. Carl Heller's East Ridge.
The story behind the mountain is also well known to this community.
After more than one failed attempt, on 14 August 1966, CLMRG
founder Carl Heller, along with Al Green, Russ Huse, Chuck Ringrose,
and Bob Stein, finally climbed this ridge. Unfortunately, this
was not the first ascent of the route. Two others managed to
get up it in 1964-on what was then known merely as Peak 13,211.
After Carl's death in 1984, CLMRG began an attempt to get Peak
13,211 renamed Mt. Carl Heller, but the U.S. Congress's Board
on Geographic Names rejected the idea. Nevertheless, common usage
is winning out, with the prominent Sierra Nevada climbing guidebooks
now referring to it by that name. The East Ridge is known as
a "classic climb" in at least a couple of publications
and is described as being of difficulty class 3 (ropes not necessary
for the experienced) to class 4 (ropes required, though barely
so). Many mountaineers in California are familiar with the mountain
although few have climbed it at all by any route.
Since 1966, Mt. Carl Heller has been a scheduled training climb
for CLMRG at least five times, the latest being the week of 15
August 2002. It is not an accident that the date selected by
the Training Committee for this exercise fell on the 70th birthday
of long-time member Al Green, who had accompanied Carl on his
first successful ascent 36 years and one day earlier.
Al succumbed to the suggestion that climbing the East Ridge would
be a great way to celebrate his birthday. So four of us-Al, Daryl
Hinman, John Ellsworth (from June Lake), and I-started out from
Whitney Portal on the morning of 14 August.
We hiked up the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek and then followed
the stream that feeds Upper Boy Scout Lake on the route variation
that leads to Russell-Carillon Pass. From the pass, Daryl and
John could not resist the temptation to climb Mt. Russell's east
ridge. Descending the pass, we made camp by Tulainyo Lake. At
12,802 feet, this lake is the highest in the western hemisphere.
The next morning, the 15th and Al's birthday, we were on our way
by 7:20. We climbed over the summit of Tunnabora Peak (13,565
ft.) and walked a half-mile out on the northeast ridge. From
there, a nice gully dropped to the 11,500-foot basin next to the
start of the Mt. Carl Heller East Ridge route. We each tanked
up with two liters of water from a small stream, and at 10:20
we were on the route.
The first part was over gently ascending slabs, but soon we encountered
a steep pitch of at least 100 vertical feet that looked hard!
I remembered from an earlier climb that this section could be
bypassed by going up an easier track around to the left, but today,
we wanted to do the direct line. We had a short length of 8-mm
rope along for emergency use, but we hoped it would spend the
day in the pack (it did).
Up we went. As would continue throughout the day, youngsters
Daryl (55) and John (56) led the way, and Al (70) and I (67) followed.
Above the pitch, we discussed how most climbers would rate it:
class 3 or 4 or possibly low class 5.
I have a personal rule of thumb: If I can downclimb it comfortably,
it's class 3. Because of this pitch's steepness and smoothness,
I'm not sure I would want to try it. On the other hand, good
holds don't have to be very close together for downclimbing:
About seven to eight feet apart will sometimes do for hanging
by a hand while your foot stretches for a toehold. After talking
it over, we felt that this was a class 4 pitch.
The rest of the route was class 3. Much of it was the hard variety,
interspersed with a dozen more difficult moves of, usually, easy
class 5-but nothing beyond 5.5. The rock was beautiful, solid
granite, and the weather was perfect.
Some difficult mountain routes are known as friction climbs, crack
climbs, etc., but not this one. Everything in your bag of tricks
is needed: stemming, jamming, manteling, underclings, overclings,
counterforce, friction, cracks-this route demands it all. There
was almost no routefinding difficulty, since our goal and the
conditions both mandated that we stay on or near the top of the
ridge the whole way. With the tremendous and constant exposure,
the climbing was thrilling and the views were stunning.
We found small level spots in a couple of places and stopped for
eats and drinks. Finally, about 2_ hours after starting up the
ridge and at an elevation of about 12,900 feet, we moved onto
a steep ramp to the right toward a steep and narrow chute that
ascends to a notch on the skyline. (Why does the word "steep"
keep appearing?) The chute was still moderately difficult class
3 and, unlike the ridge, a little loose. But it went well, and
after climbing another 200 vertical feet, we were at the notch.
We took some pictures and then ascended the remaining short but
steep 100 feet to the summit. It was a little after 1:00-about
six hours since leaving camp.
Reading the summit register, we saw we were the first people there
since September 2001. An average of about two parties a year
manage to make the summit with the East Ridge being the slightly
favored route. The East Ridge involves a far more remote approach
and is much more difficult than the other ways, so this relative
frequency attests to the reputation this fine route has been garnering
within the mountaineering community.
We were in no hurry, so we took our time descending the western
side (easy class 3 for a change!). Then back up to Tulainyo
Lake. We got to camp at various times between 4:00 and 4:30,
for a less-than-strenuous, roughly nine-hour day. Soon, the late
afternoon thundershowers made dinner preparation a little damp,
but they could not quench our memories or enthusiasm.
The next morning, we ascended Russell-Carillon Pass once again
and climbed Mt. Carillon on the way out. At the Whitney Portal
Store, Al treated us to a delicious cheeseburger and beer lunch.
It was a great climb, with fine friends, and an excellent way
to help a good old (pun intended!) friend celebrate a significant
calendar event in a unique way. Al has set a high standard for
mountaineers turning 70.
Daryl wrote, "This route is without a doubt the best class
3 climb I have ever done. The continuity of the climbing and
the exposure are unmatched. Its remoteness adds to the allure.
Without this remoteness, there would be a steady stream of climbers
on the route." I certainly agree with Daryl, and I know
the others do, too.
Recommendations for others? Because the route is committing and
retreat is not reasonably feasible, I wouldn't take anyone there
who is not an acclimatized and conditioned mountaineer. Being
comfortable climbing unroped, with serious exposure, is a trait
not easily gained. The route is long, and while belays in a couple
of places could be tolerated from a time perspective, if a person
needs more than that, the party could become benighted.
Pictures of the climb can be viewed at http://photos.yahoo.com/arold999
and selecting
"Mt. Heller," and at http://photos.yahoo.com/rockwellb
and selecting "2002-08-14 Mt. Carl Heller."

Let me advise thee not to talk of thyself as being old.
There is something in Mind Cure, after all, and if thee continually
talks of thyself as being old, thee may perhaps bring on some
of the infirmities of age. At least, I would not risk it if I
were thee.--Hannah Whitall Smith, a Philadelphia Quaker

DONATIONSGina Najera-Niesen

CLMRG gratefully acknowledges recent gifts from the following
friends:Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bergman Huntsville, Ala. In memory of
Jeff Wingo, who
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SCREE

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Posted on Sat, Sep. 07, 2002Colorado man becomes first blind person to summit peaks on
all seven continentsASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER - Erik Weihenmayer reached the top of Australia's highest
mountain, becoming the first blind person to climb the tallest
peaks on all seven continents.
Weihenmayer, 33, scaled the 7,316-foot summit of Mount Kosciuszko
Thursday with a group of about 100 climbers.
"Reaching the summit of Kosciuszko is an accomplishment unlike
any other I've experienced," he said in a statement. "In
climbing the Seven Summits, I hope to show people that what may
seem unattainable is really within reach."
Weihenmayer began his quest in 1995 by scaling 20,320-foot Mount
McKinley in Alaska, North America's tallest mountain. In 1997,
he reached the 19,339-foot summit of Africa's Kilimanjaro.
Two years later, he summited South America's 22,840-foot Aconcagua.
In 2001, he reached the top of Antarctica's 16,067-foot Vinson
Massif and then climbed Mount Everest.
Three months ago, Weihenmayer and other members of the 2002 Seventh
Summit Expedition climbed 18,510-foot Mount Elbrus, the tallest
peak in Europe.
Weihenmayer, a former middle school teacher and wrestling coach,
started climbing after losing his sight to a rare eye disease
at age 13.

The secret of living to a ripe old age is to stop
doing some of the things that make you want to.--Sam Ewing